Wholesaler BAKO North Western has been awarded the Environmental Management System accreditation ISO14001.

The accreditation was given in recognition of the company’s continuing improvement of its quality systems, and the development of its corporate social responsibility policy.

According to BAKO, it has set itself the goal of reducing energy and paper usage by 1% per annum for the next five years.

In a statement it said it was “committed to reducing its impact on the environment” and would “manage, monitor and improve its environmental performance and fully commit to the responsible use of energy, water and other resources”.

Jane Clarkson, BAKO’s quality manager, said: “The environment is paramount in many companies, both in terms of reducing in-house costs, such as electricity, but also in showing that business can play its part in tackling the challenge the wider community faces to protect and preserve the environment.”

BAKO North Western has also become a corporate member of The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside. The company hopes the scheme will help it to access knowledge and expertise on environmental matters linked to the bakery sector, as well as providing it with an opportunity to invest in the local community.